The mission as outlined in this previous post was to find a team to race with me to the Magnetic North Pole.

Would you be intrigued by the promise in this newspaper article?

Published

I remember the day my edition of The Wharf came out. I was moving house and was desperate for the time I could venture out to find a copy. My angst was however needless . The lobby of my new apartment had a bounty of copies. Of course my internal narrative at this point was a self-satisfied "it was meant to be" that cemented the righteousness of the house purchase.

I eagerly flipped to relevant page and, naturally, the first thing I did was gaze in horror at the photo. I looked imperfect and swollen (the camera really does add 10 pounds - I hope). Not quite the regal explorer I'd hoped to resemble. Filtering the photo out with a well placed paw, I was thrilled to find the writing ample compensation for my lack of visual clout. Well done Simon Hayes for taking about 1 hour of rambling anecdotes and disjointed facts, to form a coherent, succinct and pointed article. The responses could not help but flood in.

Pause & Propositions

And so it came to pass that there were 3 days of drought so complete I was suspicious my email had malfunctioned. I checked every 30 min to be sure. However on the 4th day the interest started to trickle in. I received so many wonderful emails from fellow Canary Wharfers and was astounded at the quality of their content.

Most people sent a CV-style note, listing their current occupation, reasons for wanting to join and their physical achievements. And what a list of physical achievements they were. There was an applicant who had completed the Marathon des Sables and was an ex-pro ice hokey player. Extreme hikers, regular distance runners with competitive times and mountaineers.

In fact I was so impressed I became a little embarrassed with my own meager physical accomplishments. Until Greg (my talented boyfriend who is not inspired in the least to join me on the ice, even though he's got "the right stuff") pointed out that if it was a necessity to run a sub 3hr marathon to compete in the Polar Challenge, then they would make it a pre-requisite. Which they don't!

Potential

Happily reframed, I set about threshing out the most likely of candidates. My most important criteria were likability, mental fortitude and sphere of influence. Physical prowess, though important and necessary, can be developed. With the right attitude and strong enough reason, anyone can do this. I am, after all, a mere average Jo attempting a ridiculously difficult feat. Therefore a driven, self-motivated and teachable individual would be just as realistic a competitor as an athlete.

Easy nature is an obvious pre-requisite. A team needs to get on well to function smoothly and not go bat-shit crazy and murderous when insomnia, stress and exhaustion are applied to the mix. As it would most likely be fruitless to outwit the unstable with the preclusion "psychopaths need not apply", the cup of tea and a chat method was applied.

The other two criteria deserve a line of expansion. Racing to the arctic is most likely the hardest undertaking that most people would ever complete in their lives. When we experience pain and exhaustion, it is mental toughness that drives us through. One of the speakers at a Polar Challenge introduction day put it thusly "This race is 90% mental and 60% physical". The maths is somewhat confusing to me, but I think I get the point.

Sphere of influence concerns the network of people, ideas and resources that a potential candidate can access for the hard graft of fundraising. Not only will a teammate have to come up with £20k to fund their race, but hopefully assist with the philanthropic aspect of the trip. I hope to use this race as a platform for raising awareness and many of your Earth monies for a worthy cause. In my case, not doing so would purely be self-serving hedonism as my desire to go was born purely of self-serving hedonism.

In the end I had a happy shortlist of 3 good candidates. All great company, physical achievers with impressive careers. My choice to hold the meetings at a pub (cup of tea substituted successfully with alternative beverage) may have augmented the camaraderie a wee bit, but they honestly are awesome chaps every one. All that was left for me to do was make a choice, whittle 3 down to 2, and I would have the fully-formed, winning team.

Pruning

Conveniently one guy couldn't come to a decision on how long it would take him to make a decision and what information he needed in order to make that decision. In other words he wasn't really ready so I readily discounted him, great though he was. The unforgiving Arctic environment is no place for the indecisive. Then I had the perfect 2 for 2. 2 candidates for 2 places. Job done ...

... until a family emergency coupled with a business expansion pulled one more from the ranks. Sad though I was, at least I was no longer alone. I could hold it together as long as I had a companion with whom to halve my problems.

... and then there was 1.

The thing is, when you start a new job, the company you work for doesn't take too kindly to you requesting a full month off to challenge yourself in the Arctic tundra, no matter how self-enlightening that experience may be. Huh. Who knew!

I could fill up the next paragraph with some of the inventive and colourful phrases I birthed in the process of alleviating my frustration, but I think I'll spare your innocence. Anyway the tantrum passed quickly and developed into a more sustainable melancholy. "I'll think of something" ...

Possibilities

.... Meanwhile. on the Jubilee Line, a weary traveler reached for a battered, outdated copy of The Wharf newspaper, and settled in for a good read.

The End?